Who is Chris Chan? What did YouTuber do, why was she arrested, has she been released from prison on bond

Reports are spreading like wildfire on social media that controversial US cartoonist and YouTuber Chris Chan has been released from prison on bail.

Chan was taken into custody by police in 2021, and was charged with felony incest. She has remained behind bars as her case progressed through the court system.

However new screenshots - which posters claim to be of official court records - as well as emails reportedly from Virginia's Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) service, which are circulating on social media say she has been been released on bail.

Here is everything you need to know about Chris Chan, why she was arrested, and whether she has been released on bail.

Who is Chris Chan?

Chris Chan - full name Christine Weston Chandler - is a vlogger and artist from the US state of Virginia. She is best known for her 'Sonichu' webcomic series, featuring a character who is a hybrid of Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog.

The 41-year-old transgender internet personality also creates YouTube videos about her life, as well as animations of her cartoons. She has more than 60 thousand subscribers on the platform, and her videos have racked up nearly 9 million views.

What did she allegedly do?

Chan was arrested in 2021, and faces charges of felony incest. The Greene County Sheriff's Office said in a statement released to the Mirror: "On July 31st, 2021 the Greene Country Sheriff's Office received information involving sex crimes against a family member, who resides in the Ruckersville area.

"Both the victim and the suspect reside in Greene County. Based on the investigation, an arrest warrant was issued," the statement said. "On 8/1/2021, the Henrico Police Department was able to locate and arrest the following individual: Christine Weston Chandler of Ruckersville, VA.[She] is currently charged with the following: Va Code: 18.2-366 Incest."

The force continued: "Christine Chandler is currently being held without bond at the Central Virginia Regional Jail. This is an ongoing investigation with additional charges pending."

Has Chris Chan been released on bail?

This remains unclear at this stage. While screenshots on social media say Chan is out of custody, and was "bonded out", these have not yet been verified by officials.

However, Virginia's official courts website shows a transportation order was issued for Chan on Monday (27 March), although it gives no detail as to what this was for. It still shows the defendant's status as in custody.

The records show she will have another court hearing in relation to the charge on 8 August this year.